Electronic automatic liquid pump control



April 1, 1958 H. F. RIPLEY ELECTRONIC- AUTOMATIC LIQUID PUMP CONTROL Filed April 19, 1954 2 Sheets-sheaf. 1

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INVENTOR ATTORNEYS April 1, 1958 H. F. RIPL EY ELECTRONIC AUTOMATIC LIQUID PUMP CONTROL Filed April 19. 1954 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR ATTORNEYS.

Harold Z Ripley MNQW United States Patent .0

ELECTRONIC AUTOMATIC LIQUID PUMP CONTROL Harold F. Ripley, Pine City, N. Y.

Application April 19, 1954, Serial No. 424,075

1 Claim. (Cl. 141-216) This invention relates to a pump control and more particularly to an electronic automatic liquid pump control.

It is an object of this invention to provide an electronic automatic liquid pump control of the kind to be more particularly described hereinafter for use in conventional gasoline pumps to provide for the accurate dispensing of gasoline according to the quantity or cost of the gasoline as it is regulated on the pump.

It is another object of this invention to provide an electronic automatic liquid pump control of this kind which is relatively easy to install on a conventional fuel pump and may be procured at an economical cost. The pump control may be varied at the will of an owner for dispensing the liquid from the pump accurately by measuring between the quantity and cost of the dispensed liquid which may be gasoline for automobiles.

It is yet another object of this invention to provide an electronic automatic liquid pump control of this kind which will prevent the spilling of the fuel from its nozzle when the tank being filled is substantially full, or when back pressure occurs in the tank. 7

Other and further objects and advantages of the invention will be hereinafter described and the novel features thereof defined in the appended claims.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a longitudinal section, partly broken away, of a filling nozzle constructed according to an embodiment of my invention with the discharge valve closed.

Fig. 2 is a longitudinal section, partly broken away, with the discharge valve open.

Fig. 3 is a longitudinal section of the discharge valve control mechanism.

Fig. 4 is a diagrammatic Wiring diagram of the elec tronic circuits in the pump control.

Fig. 5 is a schematic wiring diagram of the circuit under the control of the operator.

Referring now more particularly to the drawings the numeral designates generally an electronic automatic liquid pump control constructed according to an embodiment of this invention and it is particularly designed for gasoline pumps as found in service stations at the present time.

The electronic automatic liquid pump control is provided with a nozzle 11 with a manual valve 12 at one end thereof, the manual valve including a handle 14 which is mounted on the top of the valve body 15. The handle 14 is connected to a valve core 16 which is engaged with an open seat 17 for stopping or restricting the flow of liquid from the pump to the nozzle 11 where it is distributed to a fuel tank or the like.

Aside from the manually controlled valve 12 there is provided an electromagnetic or solenoid valve 18 which is automatically controlled by the selection of the operator. The electromagnetic valve 18 has a valve core 19 which is adapted to engage in a valve seat 20 when the flow of liquid through the nozzle is to be stopped and the valve core core is drawn upwardly away from the valve seat 20 by an clectromagnct coil 21 which is clcc- 2,828,782 Patented Apr. 1, 1958 trically operated under the control of the electronic means to be further described herein.

The electronic means comprises a rectifier tube 28 having plates 29 therein with cathodes 30 and a cathode heating element 31 working with the cathodes to provide sources of electrons which will be collected on the plates 29 from the source of electric supply designated generally in the drawings, by the conductors connected to the right side of switch 34. An on-off switch 34 is connected between the (A. C.) supply and the rectifier tube 28 by leads 35 so that electrons are provided in the rectifier tube between the cathodes 30 and the plates 29.

As the rectifier changes the alternating current (A. C.) to direct current (D. C.) a double filter 36 is provided to smooth out (D. C.) current pulsations. The filter 36 comprises a resistor 37 and condensers 38 connected in series between one of the alternating current leads 35 and the direct current output.

The pump motor 49 is also directly connected to the (A. C.) power supply by a manual 4 pole control switch 39 having movable contacts 41 fixed thereon and fixed contacts 42 to be engaged by the contacts 41 at which time the pump motor 49 is energized and the output of the rectifier tube is connected to the D. C. circuits at the same time. The contacts 41 are movable and are connected together by a bar 40. A button or operator 40 is carried by the bar 40 so that the contacts 41 may be moved to closed position. Switch 39 may be operatively connected with valve lever 14, and this lever may include releasable latching means (not shown) for holdiug the lever in valve opening position.

Control tubes 5823 designated by the reference numeral 44 are directly connected to the rectifier tube by way of the control switch 39 and each of the control tubes 44 has a plate 45, a cathode 46 and a starter electrode 47 therein so that each one of the control tubes 44 may be separately fired.

Commutator strips 48 are electrically connected to the tubes 44 by leads 50 so that when one of the control tubes 44 is fired the discharge of liquid from the nozzle 11 may be accurately controlled by the selected tube. Brushes 51 are mounted in a conventional rotatable brush holder (not shown) and attached directly to the shaft 49 of a computer. The brushes 51 engage on the commutator strips 48 and the commutator strips 48 are secured at aconventional insulated support (not shown) and are different in length as far as their conductive qualities is. concerned, the effective length of the commutator strips 48 being determined by the amount of insulation 52 on each of the strips. One of the commutator strips 48, and its connected tube, is particularly designed for filling a tank to capacity from the nozzle 11 and the other commutator strips and their respective tubes will provide for a lesser amount of liquid to be discharged from the nozzle 11 past the electromagnetic valve 18.

In order to provide a means of stopping the flow of liquid through the nozzle in case of over-filling; or back pressure in the tank, a float switch 54 is connected in one end of the nozzle, the end of the nozzle which will protrude into the tank to be filled, and the float switch 54 has contacts 26 and 55 therein which are connected by leads 56 which are in series with one side of the (A. C.) line to the electromagnetic valve 18 which will open the circuit to the electromagnetic valve 18 and allow the valve to close, stopping the flow of liquid through the nozzle at the time when the tank being filled has been filled to its maximum desired amount. The said float switch 54 would not only openits contacts when the tank is full, but would also open its contacts in response to back pressure in the tank. Some tanks can be filled at a greater rate than others. Often a tank is being filledatoo fast, back pressure builds up, some of the gasoline remains in the neck vof thetank and some ofthe gasoline runs over. When said back pressure builds up, with the applicants device, the gasoline remaining in the said :Ileck, .opens the float switch 54, closing electromagnetic valve 18 momentarily and avoids spillingof .the gasoline. "The manualpush button switch 57 will protrude from the;housing of the electromagnetic valve 18 and is electrically connected by leads 57 in parallel .with the .contactson switch 54 to provide ,a-nieans of energizing the electromagnetic valve 18 in case electronic control is. out; of Working order, or only a small amount of liquid is desired.

.InJt-he float switch asenibly described above, there is provided a float '22 which is responsive to the level of the liquid bothin the tank and in the end of the nozzle 11 vwhichprotrudes therein. A stiff .wire 24 is connected at one end of the float 22 and the other end to one end of a rock lever .61 which is pivotedbetween the ends thereof as at 62 in switch housing 63. The other end of lever'61 is pivotally and slidingly mounted as at 64 to a bar 65 which is carried by contact 55 of .switch '54. Float 22 is disposed in a forwardly opening float housing 66 which is positioned close to the discharge end of nozzle 11.

A normally closed push button 53 is also provided in the (D. C.) control circuit to the plates of all the 5823 tubes .44 which will open the plate circuit and de-energize any tube that has been'fired. The switch 53 provides a manual means whereby the electronic control may be manually cut off at any point in the dispensing operation.

In the use and operation of the electronic automatic liquid pumpcontrol 10, the station attendant will open his station by closing or turning on the on-oflf .switch 34. When a customer comes into the station and states the amount of gasoline he desires in his tanktheattendant closes switch 39, energizing pump motor 49 and connecting the output of the rectifier tube 28 to the D. C. circuits; presses push button 661 relating to amount desired by customer; places nozzle into tankand regulates the amount of flow into tank by the manualvalve 12.

If the customer desires a lesser quantity than a full tank the attendant presses a button 60 for closing the circuit of one of the other control tubes 44 whereby only a certain amount of fluid is led to the tank before the electromagnetic valve 18 closes. The length of the time required for closing of the electromagnetic valve will=thennbe dependent upon the length of the commutator strip-48 which is inthecircuit connected to the selectedtube and operatively connected mom: of the brushes 51. All of the brushes 51 are carried by a brush holder which may be of conventional design, the brush holder being'not shown in the drawings. When the tank hasheenfilkdth float switch, will be openedand will open the (A. C.) circuit to the electromagnetic valve 18 stopping the flow of gasoline through the nozzle 11. It is noted that push buttons 60, control tubes 44, and the circuits constitute selective means for controlling the pump to automatically pass a selected amount of liquid through said nozzle. Also the float operated switch constitutesautomatic means for controlling said pump to stop passage of liquid through said nozzle when a tank becomes full before the selected'amount of liquid is passed through said nozzle.

Whilethe specific details of one embodiment of this invention have been herein shown and described, the invention is not confinedthereto as changes and alteralions may be made without departing from the spirit and scope thereof as defined in the appended claim.

Iclaim:

In a fuelpurnp, a dispensing nozzle, a normally closed manual valve carried by .said nozzle, a solenoid valve carried by said nozzle and normally urged to closed position, a :housing encompassing said solenoid valve and fixed relative to said nozzle, a switch housing extending from said first housing and communicating with said nozzle, a normally closed switch in said switch housing connected to said solenoid valve, 21 rock lever pivoted between the ends thereof in said switch housing, a forwardly opening float housing-in-said nozzle closely adjacent the discharge end thereof, a float in said float housing, a relatively stiff wire connecting said float with one end of said-rock lever, a bar pivotally connected betweensaid switch and theotherend of said lever, and selective. means for discharging a predetermined quantity of fuel through said nozzle, said latter means being in circuit with sai'dsolenoid valve for selectively energizing said valve.

References Citedin the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,149,256 Godfrey Aug. .10, 1915 1,607,899 Long Nov. 23, 1926 1,996,944 Witter Apr. 9, 1935 2,130,687 Lachmund Sept. 20, 1938 2,326,415 Titus Aug. 10, 1943 2,361,837 Gilmore Oct. 31, 1944 2,585,821 Mueller Feb. 21, 1952 2,614,185 Henry Oct. 14, 1952 2,663,477 Bendz Dec. 22, 1953 2,692,923 Ash Oct. 26, 1954 2,729,382 Weber Ian. 3, 1956 

